6 Proven Strategies to Boost Dance Studio Enrollment This Summer
If you run a dance school, it's no surprise that summer tends to be a dead season. People plan vacations which makes it difficult to attend classes on a regular basis, generally waiting until the summer winds down to resume other activities. With these ideas to increase enrollment in dance studios, you can turn summer into your most profitable season. Discover helpful tips from the experts at Dance Motion Marketing.
1. Launch a Full-Day Camp Program
Once schools let out for summer, many parents choose to enroll their kids in day camps. Your studio could provide the perfect atmosphere to occupy young children during the day and spark their interest in dance. You can schedule weekly camp sessions that incorporate the following:
Dance lessons
Group games
Arts and crafts
Introducing a child to the world of dance during the summer is an excellent way to draw dozens of potential students to participate in the remainder of the year.
2. Choose the Right Offer for Summer Sessions
Every dance school is unique in terms of its programming, capabilities, and demographics. Strategies that work for small studios in rural or suburban areas might not be as effective for studios in large cities. Narrow down your ideas to increase enrollment in dance studios and choose what works best for you.
Consider the demographics that make up your studio's community. Is there a higher percentage of single parents or double-working parents rather than households with one breadwinner and one stay-at-home parent? This should influence your decision to offer full-day camps rather than classes that last an hour or two.
Make sure you research the local economy and price your offer accordingly. Stretching your prices too high for the area could lead you to miss out on welcoming dozens of potential students.
3. Advertise Early
Marketing professionals agree that one of the ideas to increase enrollment in dance studios in the summer is to start advertising programs early. Whether you decide to hold day camps or special summer classes for children, parents need enough time to plan ahead.
If you send an email or publish other marketing materials in May or June, chances are the majority of parents looking for activities for their children have already made commitments to other camps or programs. Parents usually begin their search for summer programming in the winter or early spring, so map out all of your materials and schedules ahead of time.
4. Target Impulsive Buyers
While full-day camps get better enrollment figures when they advertise early, it is possible to have parents make last-minute impulsive decisions. Mini dance camps usually don't require as much planning and serve as more of an impulse buy for parents as the summer approaches. You can use text messaging campaigns to spread the word to those who have already been to your studio.
Mini camps may only run two to three hours a day for three days a week. Parents who have flexibility in their schedule might feel inclined to sign their child up when you advertise about filling the final remaining spots in an upcoming session.
5. Create Incentives
Say you have students who regularly attend classes throughout the academic year but take the summers off. Send an email to your existing client base once you create registration forms for summer programs. Offer them priority access to registration so they have their choice of programs before the classes fill up.
Provide a clear timeline in your marketing materials for when early-access registration opens and closes. This causes your existing client base to act fast if they only have a limited window to register for summer classes. You can send follow-up messages during different stages of the priority registration period to encourage sign-ups before registration opens up to the general public.
6. Encourage Growth
It's great if your studio has a consistent group of students who sign up for classes every season. However, this doesn't do much in terms of growing your base. During your summer sessions, plan one day where each student can bring a friend.
This provides other kids with a trial experience where they can learn different dance steps and work together as a group. By the time the class ends, they might fall in love with dance and want to sign up for more classes. This is one of the most effective ideas to increase enrollment in dance studios in summer and beyond.
Get More Enrollment Strategies From Dance Motion Marketing
These ideas to increase enrollment in dance studios can keep your business thriving all year long. Boost your marketing strategy with Dance Motion Marketing. We specialize in advertising campaigns specifically for dance studios and offer plenty of resources to help you, including workshops and eBooks.
Use our online booking tool to schedule a consultation with our experts.
